Cuttle Tick (1 11(1 Tic/: Fever. 17 



During my visit, thanks to the kindness of Mr. W. Lawrie, I had 

 an opportunity of exaniinino; a number of fresh buffalo hides, besides 

 a buffalo killed for my examination, and no ticks were detected 

 thereon, although these animals were running on land where the cattle 

 wore badly tick-infested. Again in Melville Island I was enabled 

 through the courtesy of Messrs. Robinson and Cooper to examine 

 buffalo immediately after slaughter, and buffalo hides, and can testify 

 tj the freedom of these animals, at least at the time of my visit, from 

 cattle ticks or other tick infection. This, it must be admitted, is in 

 accordance with the experience of buffalo hunters generally. 



Others, it is true, have assured me that they have actually seen the 

 tick on the buffalo, and while not being in a position definitely to con- 

 tradict these statements, T am inclined to the opinion that the large 

 louse (Hae)H(ifopinus sp.) which constantly aft'ects these buffalo, mav, 

 in a cursory examination, have been mistaken for ticks ; that thev 

 have been so confounded by some I am certain. 



It should be here observed that about 188G, Indian l)uffaIo (two cows 

 and one bull) were brought to Port Darwin Ijy the agencv of the 

 Government, with the intention of establishing the Ghi (or buft'alo 

 butter) industry. Some of the descendants of these buffalo may still 

 be seen being employed as beasts of burden. They also are apparently 

 tick-free, and in any case were introduced subsequent to the known 

 appearance of redwater or tick fever in the north. 



I think, therefore, the buffalo may be held guiltless of the charge of 

 introducing the cattle disease in question, the chief reason being that 

 to-day he is unaffected with the necessary skin parasite, even when 

 grazing on the same land as )> a dly- infected cattle. 



Tlie result of my enquiries, however, abolishes any necessity for 

 assuming any other agent in the introduction than the live bovine 

 animal itself. Through the kindness of Mr. J. Campbell, late Secretary 

 of Agriculture, Sydney, I have been able to procure a copy of a 

 despatch, being a report on the Port Essingto^n Settlement, addressed 

 to the British Government by Captain Everard Home, dated from 

 H.M.S. " North Star," 19th April, 1843. Captain Home furnishes a 

 description of the settlement at that date, and states, inter alia, 

 " of stock they have one English cow and a l)ull, two Indian heifers and 

 two cows, about 50 goats, and a few fowls. . . . There are besides 6 

 working oxen and 30 buffaloes and pigs, the property of th-e Gkivern- 

 ment." That the descendants of these Indian cattle are still on the 

 Coburg Peninsula is vouched for by Mr. E. 0. Robinson, Mr. H. W. H. 

 Stevens. Mr. R. J. Cooper, Mr. C. Freer, and others, who have traversed 

 the country buffalo shooting, etc. The evidence is, however, that these 

 cattle, unlike the buft'alu, have not spread, and have never reached 

 country occupied by station cattle. But that they would originally 

 bring with them cattle ticks is almost undoubted. 



3 



